Lillian Negron was walking with her young nephew on
Wednesday afternoon near where George T. Smith was shot and killed Sunday
night in front of his home on Danforth Avenue. Negron, who lives on the street, said the shooting came as "a big shocker" for the neighborhood.

"This is such a quiet area," Negron said. "It's basically a very safe area."

Smith and his wife were returning to their home shortly after midnight on Sunday night when they were approached by two men. One of the men approached
Smith's wife and grabbed her purse. As Smith attempted to get it back, he was
shot and killed on the sidewalk.

Sunny Singh, a manager at the Exxon gas station on the corner of Danforth Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, said crime is not foreign to the area. As recently as three months ago, a gas station attendant there was robbed at gunpoint, Singh said, and there have been other robberies in the past.

"It's not really a safe area," Singh said.

Kathy, who declined to give her last name and who also lives
in the area, said she has always considered the neighborhood very safe. But Sunday's shooting has made her question that belief.

"When I heard about it happening her, I felt that crime is
slowly creeping into our area," said Kathy, 67. "I find it very scary."

On Wednesday, homicide detectives arrested
and charged Joshua E. Higgins, 19, of Newark, with felony murder for the shooting. He was also charged with robbery
and weapons offenses, according to authorities.

Donte Gaskin, 19, of Irvington, was also arrested Wednesday
and charged with receiving stolen property after he was found with the phone
taken during the robbery, according to authorities.

Neighbors were relieved to hear police acted quickly to find
the suspects.

"I'm glad they found them quickly," said Kathy, "because it's
very nerve racking. It's very scary to have this happen to people like this."

Another nearby neighbor, a 55-year-old man who declined to
give his name, said he was moving into the area because he thought it was a
secure area.

"It's one of the best and quietest spots there is," the man
said.

Although the shooting
happened a few doors away from his home, the man still considered the
neighborhood safe.

"It's just ridiculous to see how things like this happen," the man said. "This world is going crazy."